초록 ▼

A molded plastic basket associated with a wheeled shopping cart, which plastic basket has a generally U-shaped support rod engaged within an elongate channel extending along upper edges of the side and front walls of the basket. The support rod has constructional features to provide for desirable su

A molded plastic basket associated with a wheeled shopping cart, which plastic basket has a generally U-shaped support rod engaged within an elongate channel extending along upper edges of the side and front walls of the basket. The support rod has constructional features to provide for desirable supportive engagement and reinforcement of the upper edge of the basket while at the same time permitting coupling of the support rod and basket to the rear frame uprights to facilitate assembly while providing desirable load transmission from the basket to the upright frame elements.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A wheeled shopping cart, comprising: a wheeled base assembly having a horizontally extending rigid base frame, a basket support projecting upwardly from the base frame, and a pair of sidewardly-spaced upright rear frame members projecting upwardly from adjacent rear corners o

What is claimed is: 1. A wheeled shopping cart, comprising: a wheeled base assembly having a horizontally extending rigid base frame, a basket support projecting upwardly from the base frame, and a pair of sidewardly-spaced upright rear frame members projecting upwardly from adjacent rear corners of said base frame; a manually engageable handle extending generally horizontally between and joined to said upright frame members adjacent upper ends thereof; an upwardly-opening basket molded of plastics material and having a bottom wall, an upright front wall and a pair of generally opposed side walls; a rear gate positioned generally between upright rear edges of said basket side walls for closing off a rear open side of said basket, said gate being hingedly supported adjacent an upper edge thereof for vertical swinging movement relative to said basket; said basket defining therein a narrow outwardly opening channel disposed directly adjacent an upper edge of said basket and extending substantially continuously along said front wall and wrapping around front corners of said basket so as to extend lengthwise along said side walls, said channel adjacent rear edges of said side walls terminating at the upright rear frame members; a one-piece U-shaped support rod retained in said channel so as to extend substantially continuously along the upper edge of said basket; said U-shaped support rod including a pair of elongate cantilevered side legs which divergingly and transversely project away from opposite ends of a front bight part; each of said side legs having an integral and monolithic protrusion bent generally horizontally sidewardly from the elongate direction of the respective side leg, said protrusion being positioned adjacent but spaced rearwardly a small distance from said front bight part and protruding inwardly toward the interior of the basket; each said side wall of said basket having a small opening which horizontally aligns and communicates with said channel and which opens inwardly through said side wall for communication with the interior of said basket; and the protrusions on said side legs projecting generally horizontally inwardly into the openings in the respective said side walls for retaining said support rod to said basket in the lengthwise direction thereof. 2. The shopping cart according to claim 1, wherein said U-shaped support rod is bent from an elongate one-piece metal rod, and said projections when viewed from above are generally U-shaped projecting parts which are bent inwardly relative to the lengthwise extent of the respective side leg and define a rounded nose part which projects through the respective opening. 3. The shopping cart according to claim 2, wherein each said side leg has elongate straight and aligned front and rear leg parts which extend lengthwise along the channel in the respective side wall, and said front and rear leg parts being joined together solely by said U-shaped projection. 4. The shopping cart according to claim 2, wherein each said upright rear frame member is an elongate hollow tube having a small access opening formed through a side wall thereof in alignment with the respective rear end of said channel, and a rear free end of a respective said side leg projecting through said opening into the interior of said upright frame member when said U-shaped protrusion is engaged in the respective side wall opening. 5. The shopping cart according to claim 2, wherein each said side wall, at a location spaced rearwardly of said opening, has one or more plastic retaining strips extending vertically and transversely across the sidewardly opening mouth of said channel to define a tunnel-like structure which retains the side leg in the channel. 6. The shopping cart according to claim 5, wherein each said upright rear frame member is an elongate hollow tube having a small access opening formed through a side wall thereof in alignment with the respective rear end of said channel, and a rear free end of a respective said side leg projecting through said opening into the interior of said upright frame member when said U-shaped protrusion is engaged in the respective side wall opening, whereby the rear end parts can engage an edge wall of said access opening for transferring loads from said basket to said upright rear frame member. 7. The shopping cart according to claim 2, wherein each said side wall has an outwardly opening recess formed therein adjacent the upright rear edge thereof and extending vertically along the extent of said upright rear edge, the respective upright rear frame member being seated in the recess, and the side wall adjacent said rear edge being fixedly secured to the respective upright rear frame member. 8. The shopping cart according to claim 1, wherein each said side leg has elongate straight and aligned front and rear leg parts which extend lengthwise along the channel in the respective side wall, and said front and rear leg parts being joined together solely by said U-shaped projection. 9. The shopping cart according to claim 1, including a pair of sidewardly-spaced channel members fixedly mounted on and fitted downwardly over the upper edge of said front wall so that a front leg on each said channel member protrudes downwardly over said channel and the bight part positioned therein. 10. The shopping cart according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion on the support rod, in plan view, is U-shaped and has a rounded nose part defined at the base thereof, said nose part protruding inwardly a substantial distance beyond an inner side surface of said side wall. 11. A wheeled shopping cart, comprising: a wheeled base assembly having a horizontally extending rigid base frame and a basket support arrangement projecting upwardly from the base frame; an upwardly-opening basket molded of plastics material and having a bottom wall fixedly supportingly engaged with the basket support arrangement associated with the base assembly; said upwardly-opening basket being a one-piece, integral and monolithic molded plastic construction having an upright sidewall arrangement which is integrally and monolithically molded to and projects upwardly from an outer edge of said bottom wall, said upright sidewall arrangement defining solely three sides of the basket and defining an upright front wall and a pair of generally opposed upright side walls which are joined through front corners to said upright front wall, a rear side of said one-piece molded construction being open; a pair of upright frame members rigidly fixed to said base assembly and projecting upwardly generally along and rigidly secured to said side walls adjacent rear upright edges thereof; a manually engageable handle extending generally horizontally between and joined to said upright frame members adjacent upper ends thereof so that said handle extends transversely across said basket adjacent a rear upper edge thereof; said one-piece molded construction defining therein a narrow outwardly-opening channel disposed directly adjacent an upper edge of said upright sidewall arrangement and extending substantially continuously along said front wall adjacent its upper edge and wrapping around said front corners and then extending lengthwise along said side walls adjacent the upper edge thereof so that said channel terminates adjacent the upright rear edges of said side walls; each said side wall having a small window-like opening which communicates with said channel and which opens horizontally inwardly through said side wall for communication with the interior of said basket, said window-like opening being disposed closely adjacent the respective corner which joins the respective side wall to said front wall; a one-piece U-shaped support rod positioned in said channel so as to extend substantially continuously along said upright sidewall arrangement adjacent the upper edge thereof; said U-shaped support rod including a front bight part which is of a length corresponding to the channel defined in the front wall of said basket and which at opposite ends joins through bent corners to a pair of elongate cantilevered side legs which project transversely away from opposite ends of said front bight parts, each said side leg terminating in a free end, said front bight part and said pair of elongate cantilevered side legs being an integral and monolithic one-piece construction shaped from an elongate steel rod; and each of said side legs having a protrusion fixed thereto and projecting generally horizontally sidewardly in a cantilevered fashion away from the elongate direction of the respective side leg, said protrusion being positioned adjacent but spaced rearwardly a small distance from said front bight part and protruding inwardly through the respective window-like opening toward and into the interior of the basket when the U-shaped support rod is engaged within the channel. 12. The shopping cart according to claim 11, wherein the protrusion is integrally and monolithically joined to and formed with the respective side leg. 13. The shopping cart according to claim 11, wherein said channel as it extends along said side wall terminates directly adjacent the upright frame member, said upright frame member being a hollow metal tube having an opening extending through a side wall thereof in communication with said channel, and the rear free end of said side leg protruding through said opening into the interior of said upright frame member. 14. The shopping cart according to claim 11, wherein each said side wall of said one-piece basket has at least one plastic retaining strip extending vertically and transversely across the sidewardly-opening mouth of said channel to define a tunnel-like structure which retains the side leg of the U-shaped support in the channel, said retaining strip being positioned in rearwardly spaced relationship from the window-like opening. 15. The shopping cart according to claim 14, wherein the protrusion is integrally and monolithically joined to and formed with the respective side leg. 16. The shopping cart according to claim 11, wherein the protrusion has a rounded configuration adjacent an inner free end thereof and is disposed so as to project inwardly beyond an inner side surface of the respective side wall so as to permit it to function as a rear gate support when baskets of similar shopping carts are longitudinally partially nested one within another.